Pivot adjustment means for wrench-pliers



May 10, 1955 HA. MEAD PIVOT ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR WRENCH-PLIERS Filed April 26, 1954 INVENTQR .Eomez' xii/Weed av United States Patent PIVOT ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR WRENCH-PLIERS Homer A. Mead, Turlock, Calif.

Application April 26, 1954, Serial No. 425,372

1 Claim. (Cl. 81--51.3)

This invention relates to pliers of the type which are provided with means to adjust the setting of the jaws to accommodate work of different sizes while maintaining the angular relation of the jaws substantially the same with any such adjustment.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an adjustment means which attains a sure holding of the jaw pivot at any adjusted position thereof and without the likelihood of any wear developing, even after a long period of use, such as would affect such sure holding action.

Another object is to provide an adjustment means which enables close adjustments of the jaws to be had, and so that a relatively large number of possible positions of adjustment may be employed, while maintaining the tool relatively narrow, so that it may be used in cramped quarters without interference.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wrench-type pliers equipped with the improved adjustment means; the jaws being shown closed and in their position of closest adjustment.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation with the pivotal adjustment pin in section, and showing the position of the pin as the movable jaw member is turned to shift said jaw from one position of adjustment to another.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the pin as seated in an adjustment notch other than the one in which the pin is seated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the pliers with which the adjustment means is incorporated comprises a fixed jaw member 1 and a movable jaw member 2. Member 1 comprises a handle 3, a fiat shank portion 4 at the outer end of the handle, extending at an acute angle to the median line of the handle, and a fixed jaw 5 at the outer end of the shank, extending at an obtuse angle thereto in a direction to overhang and face the adjacent end of handle 3. A pivot pin 6 is rigidly secured in the shank adjacent the connection thereof with the handle.

Member 2 comprises a handle 7 opposite handle 3, a flat shank 8, at its outer end overlapping shank 4 and extending transversely of the handle 7 substantially equal distances on opposite sides of the median line thereof, and a jaw 9-considered the movable jaw of the pliersprojecting outwardly from shank 7 and so that its working face approaches parallelism with that of the jaw 5 when the handles are closed.

Shank 8 is formed with an elongated slot 10, extending substantially at right angles to the working face of jaw 9, and whose width as a whole is slightly greater than the diameter of that portion of pin 6 which projects outwardly from the shank 4; the ends of the slot being rounded to correspond to said diameter. The end of the slot furthest from jaw 5 is arranged (as shown at 11) to allow of initial entry of the pin, which is then held from removal by an enlarged head 12 secured thereon.

From said end 11 of the slot to the other end thereof, spaced nubs 13 project into the slot, from the edge thereof nearest jaw 9; the inner ends of said nubs lying in a line parallel to the opposite edge of the slot, and being spaced therefrom a distance slightly greater than the radius of pin 6. In other words, the depth of each notch is substantially the same as the radius of the pin.

Adjacent nubs form notches 14 therebetween, the side 15 of each notch which faces away from said end 11 of the slot being disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the slot, while the other side 16 of each slot is curved on a radius the same as that of the pin 6. The center of curvature of such side 16 is at the junction of the side 15 with the inner end of the adjacent nub so that the area of the notch is substantially one quarter of the area of the pin.

In order to enable the pin 6 to enter any notch and to pass along the slot to engage any selected notch, said pin, for the axial extent thereof which projects through the shank 8, is cut or cross-slotted as at 17 to a depth equal to the radius of the pin, the bottom edge 18 of the slot facing away from jaw 5 and being substantially parallel to the working face of jaw 5.

From the above description, it will be seen that members 1 and 2 may of course freely turn relative to each other when pin 6 is in the end 11 of the slot, regardless of the slot 17. When it is desired to set the pin in one of the notches 14, member 2 is turned about the pin so as to dispose the bottom face of the slot 17 parallel and in facing relation to the inner end of the nubs 13, enabling member 2 to he slid relative to member 1, as shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the axis of the pin reaches the end of any notch 14 nearest the slot end 11, member 2 may then be turned in the opposite direction to cause the outer half of the cut-away portion of the pin to enter said notch (as shown in Fig. 3) so that the jaws 5 and 9 may then engage a piece of work 19 of a size for which the corresponding setting of said jaws may be suited.

With the pin 6 in such notch-engaging position, it will be seen that the curved side of the pin-engaged notch facing the jaw 5, provides a pressure area in contact with the pin which is disposed to resist any wear or slippage when pressure is applied to the movable handle to grip and rotate the work.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

In a pliers which includes relatively fixed and movable members having opposed relatively fixed and movable jaws respectively, and shanks overlapping each other; means to relatively adjust the members comprising a pivot pin secured in one of the shanks, the other shank having an elongated slot disposed at a substantial angle to the working face of the corresponding jaw, said pin being rotatably received in one end of the elongated slot when the jaws are closed, the portion of the pin within said elongated slot being cut away to provide a cross slot having a depth such that the axis of the pin lies in the lugs, the lugs .at their 'free ends being spaced jfronijthe o opposite side of the elongated slot a distance substantially equal to the radius of the pin; one side of each notch being substantially straight and facing away from'said one end of the elongated slot, and the other side of each notch'being curved on aradius substantially the same as that of the pinand centered at the free end of said one side of the notch whereby to receive apart of the slotted portion of the pin'in holding relation.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Mannes Oct. 4, 1887 Pickard Jan. 9, 1923 Ingram Aug. 16, 1927 Mead June 17, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS France, Oct. '25, 1950 

